Brothers tackle job of cleaning up Greenlawn Cemetery

CHESTER TOWNSHIP -- Dozens of headstones in Greenlawn Cemetery are adorned with flowers, flags and other mementoes brought by people honoring their loved ones.

It is a common sight at most cemeteries, especially during patriotic holidays, but the scene was unimaginable when Ezell Wright Jr. and his brothers stopped by in February to pay respect to their late father, Ezell Wright Sr., a veteran of World War II and the Korean War.

The brothers encountered an unkempt cemetery overgrown by vegetation that included waist-high grass and weeds. Rodents had burrowed holes beneath various headstones. Other markers had been knocked to the ground.

Wright knew what to expect, having visited the cemetery at various points over the years and witnessed its neglect. Occasionally, inspired residents organized volunteer cleanups, but the efforts never were sustained. The cemetery simply reverted to its deteriorating state.

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Wright's brothers, David Wright and Hussain Al-Hindi, were less prepared to witness the extent of the cemetery's unsightliness, but they knew it was not in the finest condition. They brought a pair of weed whackers and a push lawnmower to clear their father's grave, but quickly felt called to do more.

"We all had pretty much the same idea," Al-Hindi said. "Once we started doing our father's grave, we couldn't just stop. We decided to go in and do the work."

That work has transformed into an ambitious quest to restore the cemetery and provide sustained upkeep. The brothers have returned to Greenlawn every weekend since their initial visit in February, clearing brush and cutting grass throughout its several acres. Collectively, they've poured several hundred hours of volunteer labor into making the cemetery more presentable.

Their service has not gone unnoticed. As the brothers cleared the graves nearest the cemetery's entrance along Concord Road, Al-Hindi said people began venturing into the cemetery, requesting the brothers locate and clear the graves of family members. The flowers and flags placed along various headstones are evidence that people welcome the opportunity to again visit the memorials of their loved ones.

Maintaining Greenlawn is no small task. Already, areas the brothers cut weeks ago are in need of a fresh trim. A recent storm brought down a towering tree that now needs to be removed from the middle of the cemetery. Even the headstone marking the remains of one of the cemetery's founders, Bradford Murray Sr., has fallen off its base.

The brothers insist they have the zeal necessary to restore and sustain the cemetery. However, they recognize they need additional volunteers and donations to purchase equipment.

Without continued maintenance by a group of supporters, Greenlawn Cemetery is destined to revert to a deplorable state.

History of Greenlawn

State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, of Chester, can recall a time when Greenlawn was a popular and well-kept cemetery. Founded in 1907 by Bradford Murray Sr. and Lawrence Murray Sr., the cemetery served for decades as a primary burial ground for the city's black residents.

"It was one of the few places that African Americans could be buried because of the racial makeup and church makeup in the city," said Kirkland, whose parents and grandparents are buried there.

However, Greenlawn ran out of spaces for new graves in the mid-1990s, limiting its cash flow. The cemetery was founded decades before Pennsylvania's perpetual care laws went into effect in the 1950s. Those laws require cemeteries to dedicate 15 percent of the price of a plot to a fund set aside for continued maintenance. Such funds were never collected at Greenlawn.

As money ran dry and equipment fell into disrepair, Bradford Murray III eventually ceased maintaining Greenlawn and the cemetery slipped into a state of neglect. The grandson of founder Bradford Murray Sr., Murray had operated Greenlawn for years, but he told the Daily Times in 2003 that he never owned Greenlawn and has no legal obligation to upkeep it. The property belongs to a defunct corporation created by Greenlawn's founders, he said.

The original deed supports Murray's claim. His grandfather, great-uncle Lawrence and great-aunt Mollie are mentioned in the deed, which states that they paid $9,000 for the property. The original business charter names Bradford Murray Sr. along with other family members and associates.

Bradford Murray III first began helping with operations in 1973 because his father, Bradford Murray Jr., was suffering from glaucoma and could no longer manage the property alone. When his father died in 1985, Murray said he continued operating Greenlawn until money grew tight and his health made it a struggle to do so.

Yet, Murray said he never intended to take on Greenlawn as a family business. He spent 32 years working for Scott Paper until retiring in 1992 and later worked part-time at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chester Township Solicitor Stephen Polaha said the township has no legal authority regarding the cemetery. He said the neglected state of Greenlawn is "unfortunate," but there is little the township can do.

"We can't spend public money dealing with private property," said Polaha, who recommended concerned residents hire an attorney to examine the ownership history of the property.

Contacted last month, Murray, 74, declined to elaborate on Greenlawn beyond summarizing the comments he previously told the Daily Times. He said the newspaper correctly reported his side of the story in 2003.

However, Murray said he was happy to hear that a group of residents wished to restore and sustain the cemetery.

"I wish these guys luck," Murray said. "I think it's a very fine thing that they're doing. ... I've been waiting and hoping that somebody would step up. When you get involved in something like that, it takes a lot of time."

A COMMON ISSUE

The situation at Greenlawn Cemetery is hardly unique.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of unkempt cemeteries across the state, estimated Bob Stewart, director of the Pennsylvania Cemetery Cremation and Funeral Association.

"I live in Harrisburg," Stewart said. "If I drive two miles, the road does a vee. There's probably 20 graves in that vee. That's all. I wouldn't want to guess how many cemeteries, if you count something like that as a cemetery."

Usually, the cemeteries are small, old and have some type of religious or ethnic affiliation, he said. Many of them were founded by associations or families around the turn of the 20th century. The next generation did not always take on operations.

"A lot of them were built on volunteer labor," Stewart said. "That doesn't exist too much anymore."

Government assistance also is rare, Stewart said.

Only once, Stewart said, has he seen the state legislature award a grant to a cemetery. Local governments have too many other obligations and cannot afford to maintain unkempt cemeteries. Stewart said one municipality called his office wondering whether the PCCFA would take a cemetery off of its hands.

"What ... you're picking up is an obligation that will never end," Stewart said. "That's why government is very hesitant to do something like that, unless it is something that would be really easy and they (could) just run a lawnmower over it and be done with it in 20 minutes."

A major problem, Stewart said, is the markers. Cemeteries with headstones require smaller lawnmowers and weed whackers to trim the grass, significantly increasing the amount of labor necessary. Plus, cemeteries with roads and drainage systems are expensive to maintain.

"The dollars don't work," Stewart said. "That's why a lot of these people would like to get rid of them."

Stewart said he didn't know how to solve situations similar to Greenlawn, in which there is no funding and ownership is unclear.

"It was a little mom and pop cemetery," Stewart said. "It wasn't a business. You can't think of it as a business. It was something that was done for a specific reason."

The best solution, Stewart said, is for a community group to adopt the cemetery.

SOLUTIONS

Greenlawn Cemetery might have a group prepared to ensure that it remains in a condition inviting to visitors and respectful to those buried there.

"We are not doing this as a flash in the pan," Ezell Wright said. "We are very serious about this."

Wright and his brothers have dedicated their time, energy and money into restoring the cemetery. They have recruited a handful of volunteers to join them, including their friends Frank Holloway, Dwayne Mosley and Howard Mosley. One business has offered to remove fallen trees and branches for free.

Now, the brothers are looking for a solution to sustain maintenance efforts. They also want to repair the cemetery's gravel road, which contains massive potholes, and piece together an on-site directory.

"We need some help and we need some equipment," Al-Hindi said. "We have the zeal to do it."

The brothers have distributed fliers seeking volunteers and donations to pay for equipment. They hope to visit local churches and businesses in the coming weeks to raise support.

The brothers expected to meet with Murray Saturday to discuss the cemetery's situation and possibly gain a copy of the cemetery's directory. They already have spoken to council members from both Chester Township and the city.

City Councilman William "Al" Jacobs has pledged his support, offering to help strategize fundraising efforts. The group is considering starting a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining Greenlawn.

"It's not so much about helping them out -- it's about helping out the community," said Jacobs, who also assisted by cutting grass. "Just about everybody I've talked to has somebody that's buried in that cemetery."

Jacobs counts himself among that crowd. His first wife and her mother are buried in Greenlawn.

"I used to go out there for mediation and prayer," Jacobs said. "Then the place just started turning into a jungle. It had been years since I had been there."

Thanks to the efforts of the brothers, Jacobs was compelled to return to Greenlawn Cemetery. Others are now doing the same for the first time in years.

The flags, flowers and mementos decorating the headstones are proof of that.